Stand and look pretty
by Sarahloulabellx
Summary: Of course James Hathaway put everyone else's safety first and well this time may just be the last time he is able to do that.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys well im back and yes i am going to attempt to finish my two previous lewis stories in the meantime this popped into my head...I would love some constructive critism, well i hope you enjoy :) _

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><p>This was the side of policing James Hathaway hated, speaking to the press about cases and other events in the police force seemed so pointless and cruel. The obnoxious reporters who thought 'their readers deserved' all the gory details. Fortunately today had been lucky for Hathaway after complaining to Lewis about his views on the media Robbie had finally found sympathy for his young Sargent and gave him his orders to 'stand and look pretty' it was then left to Innocent and Lewis to give the press conference while James stood in the background.<p>

It had been going on for not even ten minutes when Innocent was interrupted by a loud surely man in the back row, "y'know the trouble wit you lot?" He shouted, obviously aiming it towards Innocent and Robbie who just ignored the man and attempted to continue with the speech while uniform got rid of the obviously drunk man. "No you don't get rid of me that easily" He shouted producing a gun from his jacket pocket pointing it straight towards the uniformed officers.

"Sir you dont want to do anything stupid" Shouted Robbie, trust him to jump straight in there thought James taking a step closer to his mentor almost without thinking.

"Now you listen and you listen good, me I was a good man went to work payed my taxes but that wasnt enough was it my wife and daughter died in that accident the driver was drunk but did you investigate did you hell, nope you said it was an accident, case closed was it hell an accident!" The man was shaking with anger pointing the gun towards Robbie.

Yet Robbie remained cool looking the man in the eyes he said "Mr Macldon? Your wife and daughter died 2 years ago didn't they, their car had gone through an orange light which had turned to red as they passed it and where hit by an oncoming car, all three involved died Mr Macldon it was just an accident trust me."

However as James looked towards his senior officer he noticed something a red dot on his chest he couldn't figure out what it was at first but then he realised the dot had a line which went up to the balconies. It was a laza target like on you would find on a secret service gun. Nothing else in the room mattered now James had to save his boss noticing the dot was now fixed he sprinted towards his oblivious boss pushing him with all his force as he heard two gunshots, that was all he knew as he fell backwards to the floor darkness engulfing him.

Robbie didn't know what had hit him quite literally as he was rammed from the side, completely losing all balance crashing to the floor pulling Innocent with him and then he heard it two gunshot's, followed by screaming and more gunshots then echo's of all clear. Robbie went to get up but he couldn't move his legs something heavy was lying on them, as he sat up his blood ran cold.

"JJJJAMESS" He stammered his young Sargent was lying face down across his legs surrounded by a pool of blood "James can you hear me?" He whispered as he gingerly reached out to Hatthaway's wrist to try and find a pulse there was one, but it was so very very weak he almost didn't feel it.

"James" Robbie heard Innocent gasp behind him.

"Hes not dead" was all Robbie could whisper before finally gathering the courage to roll the young man onto his back and off Robbies now blood soaked trousers.

"RING AN AMBULANCE NOW" Shouted Robbie as soon as he saw the state of his young Sargent from what he could tell through the blood James had two wounds one in his stomach and one in the side of his head as soon as Robbie saw this he had to move away as he vomited.

"James you have to hold on help is on the way" stammered lewis as he wrapped his blazer into a ball pushing it onto his stomach trying to stem the bleeding he didnt know what else to do.

"Robbie the ambulance is over 20 minutes away there was a pile up on the motorway what do we do" she explained through tears.

"I will ring Laura keep the pressure on this" explained Robbie as he got up and walked away he needed some space he was shaking and new he was easily going to slip into shock.

"Robbie what is it this better be import..." snapped Laura as she answered her phone only to be interrupted by Robbie.

"James, hes been shot twice in the stomach and...and his head, Laura what do I do theres so much blood, I dont even know how he has a pulse" the last bit was said in a whisper more of a confession to himself than to Laura.

'"Im on my way, I am already in the car give me 5 minutes, but you need to keep pressure on his stomach and head but dont put to much pressure on his head and make sure he is resting on something soft with his head elevated, ill be there soon" explained Laura automatically turning to Doctor mode this was no time to become worried and hystericall.

Robbie shakingly ran a hand through his hair covering more of himself in blood, he quickly looked around the now wrecked room finding two seat pillows and a bottle of water he ran back to where he had left his sargent.

"We need to keep his head elavated Laura said she is on her way" he explained although he new Jean was not listening she was staring at James head shaking as the adrenaline left her.

A stangled gasp left her throat "How...How did this happen Robbie he...he is so young and his head...how can he get through this, hes to young" stammered Innocent obviously going into shock.

"Jean...Jean look at me he will get through this I promise, James is a stubborn prat he wont go any where without a fight" He didnt know who he was trying to reasure more, Jean or himself.

No more words where needed between the two their main forcus now was to try and save James and well if the worst was to happen make him as comfortable as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

_Okayy so I have some serious apologising to do here I am so sorry its taken this long to get anything up and I am sorry for leaving it for so long at such an awful ending life seemed to crash into me leaving me with no time at all for anything. BUT IM BACK WOOP. _

_On another note thank you for the reviews and alerts i was so pleased i got a response to this, thanks also for the advice on getting a beta im currently working on it so you may still have to put up with a few gramatical errors for that i apologise. _

_Anyway on with the chapter i will try and get as much done and on here before the end of the week as i possibly can._

_Disclaimer i own nothing except the plot bunnies running around in this silly little brain of mine..._

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><p>"Robbie I'm here, I'm here" called Laura from the doorway.<p>

"Laura over here quickly" called Jean waving at the Doctor.

"My god what happened here" the young women gasped.

"I have a feeling but right now making sure he is going to pull through is the most important thing" explained Robbie

"Ok his breathing is heavy and raspy, pulse thready barley there, pupils un responsive, he has two obvious wounds one to his stomach with an exit wound and...well and one to the left off his head cant tell if the bullet has gone in or whether its scrapped...there's...well...um too much blood for it to not have gone in" Laura regrettably informed them both.

As she got to work trying to stop the bleeding from both wounds it became clear that James had been remarkably unlucky the bullet had entered his skull and the extent of the damage was yet to be known.

"Laura, I have lost his pulse and I cant find it again" said Robbie obvious worry etched in his voice and on his face. Laura stopped what she was doing and placed two fingers on Hathaway's neck, after what seemed like an eternity she moved her ear towards James chest.

"He's is cardiac arrest I need to massage his heart back into synus rhytm Robbie keep his head still, Jean find out where that ambulance is now!" ordered Laura pumping her curled hands on James chest trying to get his heart moving again.

"Come on lad don't you dare give up on me yet, and that's an order one I expect you to follow for once in your life" whispered Robbie in his Sargent's ear.

"C...O...M...E...ON...Y..OU...STUBB...ORN...PRAT!" Explained Laura trying her best to get James back.

"Laura, Laura he's gone" whispered Jean.

"No, listen!" Ordered Robbie, All three stopped what they where doing and listened. Robbie was starting to believe he was hearing things when it happened, such a bitter sweet sound to all three. It was James breathing raspy and gurgling but he was breathing,

"Quick Robbie find out where the hell that ambulance is now! He needs to be in a hospital now if he is to pull through this" Ordered Laura.

As she was shouting this two paramedics came running into the room, they ran over to the small group and after Laura had explained what had happened and his condition the men placed the sergeant on a spinal board and quickly moved him outside into the waiting ambulance, without even asking Robbie jumped in the back of the ambulance determined to help his sergeant even if it just meant being with him.

It was exactly 11 minutes and 46 seconds before the ambulance pulled up into the emergency bay Robbie could remember every second of that journey his watch seemed to have increased in volume and it was the only thing he could hear as he stared at his young charge lying on the spinal board he reckoned he may have slipped into shock somewhere along the line but he didn't notice until they pulled up and the paramedics had to push him to get him moving out of the ambulance.

He was then stopped before he could follow James into the resus area and pointed in the direction of a family room, he didn't correct the nurse he felt he may be the closest thing to family James Hatthaway had and he needed him to be there when he woke up.

It was an hour later when Robbie noticed his blood soaked trousers, hands and shirt. It was two hours later when he realised he had 65 missed calls from both Laura and Jean. It was three hours later when Robbie finally realised that he was in the hospital waiting room. It was eventually seven hours after being pushed in the family room that Robbie looked up to see an ageing doctor starring straight at him calling Hathaway's name.

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><p><em>Also meant to say earlier i am very much not a doctor so majority of medical stuff in here is either made up or stuff i have heard on casualty and holby city lol. <em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey I am soo sorry for the long wait again I do apologise however exams, family and health have prevented this from being updated. _

_However for all those still with me and this story here is the final chapter I really hope you enjoy please let me kno what you think. _

_Oh I am also in the middle of finding a beta so I understand the grammar and spelling problems here but any help is highly appreciated thanks x_

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><p><em>Coma<em>

The word seemed so common and yet it hit him like a brick wall. A _coma,_ Jim was in a _coma. _The doctor had said there was no way to know if he would ever wake up and if he did then there was no way to know how much damage had been done by the bullet.

He supposed after a while, that he should have been slightly relieved at least James was alive and he was breathing on his own that seemed a miracle in itself.

Jean and Laura had arrived two hours after Robbie was pushed into the family room but Jean had to leave soon after that to deal with the press leaving only with the promise that they would ring as soon as they had news. That's what Robbie found himself doing as he wandered the long sterile corridors of the hospital trying to find the exit.

'Robbie what's going on you promised to ring it's been five hours since I left!' explained an exasperated sounding Jean.

'He had to have brain surgery, he...he is in a coma they don't know if he will wake up' stammered the elder man hands shaking as he pushed open a door which led to the hospitals special remembrance garden.

Laura was trying to stop the medical side of her brain from working out the possible outcomes of James condition. Flicking through old magazines she found herself returning to the idea of brain damage, it was a huge chance that James would come out of this very differently compared to how he went in. Then she realised that was if he came out of this at all. She saw the possible outcomes of stuff like this every day why would it be any different this time, yes James was pretty much like family to her but all those she dealt with were like family to others that didn't stop them from dyeing. She was thinking too much she needed to occupy herself so she went in search of Robbie.

As she went to open the door she almost collided with the man in question and his two coffee cups.

'Sorry, here' he said handing her a cup

'Thanks, what did Jean say I hope they caught the bastard that did this!' she asked taking great interest in the cup in her hand.

'mmmm he was shot dead on scene some disgruntled costumer we assume' replied Robbie attempting to make a joke but Laura was to stuck in her previous thoughts to even notice.

'He may die Robbie, what...what do we do?' stammered Laura tears beginning to fall.

Robbie moved to sit down beside her putting his arm around her shoulders he pulled her close to him muffling her sobs with his chest.

'ssssshhh Laura we do what can do. We talk to him, stay with him and pray for him, Jim is strong and a stubborn sod he won't go anywhere without a fight. You and me both know that, and I'm also sure the promise of a free pint or two will get him up and about in no time, aye that's right he'll be up and about in no time.' Neither of them believed his words but the reassurance was all they needed for comfort.

After a while a very young looking nurse came into the room telling them they could go see James. Robbie held Laura's hand as they were lead to a room in a glass ward the door had I.C.U printed along it however they couldn't see James he had been put in the room at the end with private written across the door.

They both paused neither wanting to really see James making it a lot more real. The nurse quickly reassured them, whilst warning them about what they would see.

It took a couple of moments but finally Robbie walked forward opening the door and moving into the room.

'Dear god' he gasped he was stopped in his tracks when he saw the state of his sergeant, he was no longer covered in blood but this emphasized just how pale he was.

The amount of wires, tubes and other machinery that was attached to him seemed alien and foreign compared to how Lewis usually saw James; the logical side of his brain told him every piece of equipment was keeping the young man going however his heart ached for the fact that the machines had to keep him alive. It was all so wrong.

Moving forward again Lewis lowered himself into the chair beside James' bedside and ran a hand over his face. He really was getting old, why was it James here in this bed and not him. Jim was so young with so much life ahead of him, yet he was sat here with not a scratch at his age he had lived his life had so many experiences he just hoped James would get a chance to live his life.

Lewis sat there through the entire night and next day talking and encouraging James to come back to him.

He continued this vigilante over James for the continuing weeks and months, Jean granting him compassionate leave and making sure along with Laura that he ate and slept.

It was 5 months after James had been admitted to the hospital that he slowly began to show signs of improvement at first breathing on his own, then one night as Lewis told him a story about his time with Morse that he noticed slight movement from behind James' eye lids.

'Jim?'

Lewis stood reaching for the alert button and grabbing James hand, 'Jim if you can hear me squeeze me hand son' it took a while but eventually Robbie felt a slight pressure on his fingers.

Then looking up he saw a sight that made his heart do summersaults, a pair of sparkling blue eyes looking straight at him.

'Sorry m'late sir'


End file.
